Residents jump from burning apartment building in Mpls

Residents of a south Minneapolis apartment building leapt from second-story windows to escape an early morning fire on Tuesday.

The fire started about 4 a.m. in an apartment building hallway on 10th Avenue South, near Powderhorn Park.

Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief Cherie Penn said fire crews arrived to find light smoke coming from the building and people scrambling to get out.

"There were some people that did jump out of the window. Some of the agencies are saying that a female jumped out and sustained a leg injury," Penn said. "I'm not sure what that injury is at this time. Others reportedly threw their children out to waiting relatives on the ground level."

No one was actually injured by the fire, and the blaze was put out without major damage to the building. Penn said that the building remains habitable and she credited smoke alarms with alerting residents to the fire and prompting quick action.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but fire officials suspect arson.